Choosing Houseplants for Home Decor

Houseplants can make a huge difference in your decorating. They add a touch of the outdoors and make the home feel fresh and inviting. However, many people have problems keeping their houseplants looking good. This is often because they have picked a plant that is not suitable for where it is located in the house or how much time they are willing to spend caring for them. Following is information about low-maintenance plants, trailing plants, flowering plants, low allergy plants and beneficial plants with tips on how to keep them looking healthy.

Low Maintenance Plants

You can easily spot a low maintenance plant by looking at its leaves. Plants that have leaves that are thick and leathery are better able to retain moisture and generally do not need as much attention as plants with thin delicate leaves. Your plants will still need some attention such as regular watering, plant food, and the occasional new pot to grow in. Very few plants can survive on sunny windowsill, especially in the summer, so try to find a spot that gets sun, but not too much, otherwise it will always look wilted. Another option is to group plants together. The plants will work together to form a microclimate that will retain humidity and increase the time between being watered. Following are a few suggestions of good low maintenance plants:

Desert cacti
Fatsia japonica-quick growing and very pretty
Peperomia spp.-all the members of this plant group need very little water
Chlorophytum comosum-a hardy dramatic looking trailing plant
Pilea cadieri-needs only partial shade, and very little water

Trailing Houseplants

Trailing houseplants great ways to add beauty to a plain table, or place in a hanging basket on the porch. They also work great planted along the edges of a large floor pot. The trailing foliage will hide the soil underneath and create a nice lush feeling. Trailing plants are also a good idea if space is limited because they won't take up floor or table space if hung from the ceiling. Most trailing plants can also be trained to grow up trellises, frames or other items. Here are a few good trailing houseplants:

Dichondra 'Silver Falls'-created a cascading trail of leaves
Hoya lanceolata subsp. Bella-this miniature plant trail scented flowers
Tradescantia fluminensis-resiliant plant that will grow well in a hanging basket

Fragrant Flowering Plants

Fragrant flowering plants create a nice pop of color and a great scent, and fragrant flowers used as air fresheners are less likely to cause people headaches like chemical air fresheners. White flowers have a stronger scent because they use the scent rather than color to attract pollinators. Some plants only have one flowering season and others will produce flowers at various times year round. Some great flowering plants are:

Citrofortunella microcarpa-pretty white flowers
Citrus-citrus flowers throughout the year and even the leaves smell good
Freesia-very fragrant bulbs, with long lasting blooms
Passiflora caerulea or Passion Flower-great scent and stunning flowers

Low Allergy Houseplants

There are many houseplants that can actually help people. Many people suffer from allergies caused by dust so the first thing to do is make sure that you don't get plants with hairy leaves because they will collect dust and be harder to clean. The soil should also be covered with inorganic mulch like fine gravel. This will help reduce spores and dust. Some great low allergy plants are:

Calathea makoyana or Peacock plant
Helianthus "Ballad"-pollen free
Radermachera sinica-extremely hardy
Ficus elastica

Beneficial Plants

There are also houseplants which greatly improve air quality. Having plants in the home combats the effects of chemicals constantly released from electronic equipment that can make people have headaches and feel tired. Plants with large leaves produce the best effects. Some plants that do a good job of improving air quality are:

Codiaeum variegatum
Dieffenbachia seguine
Howea forsterianca
Philodendron bipinnatifidum